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Complexity equals Entropy?

Posted by mlam on November 29, 2006 at 01:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Gotta get some work done. So, short entry for today. CVM Internals will have to be postponed again ... sorry. On to today's topic ...

2nd Law
The second law of thermodynamics states that [at least how I would like to remember it] ... universal entropy always increases. An interesting corollary of that is ... local entropy can be reduced by infusing energy, but this also comes at the cost of increasing universal entropy. I probably butchered that in so many ways since I'm not a physicist. But let's get to the point ...

Software Complexity
Software complexity is a bit like entropy. Over the lifetime of a software product, there will be enhancements, customizations, ports, etc. All these add to the complexity of the code. We all know that complexity makes it harder for us to maintain the code. After all, the human mind can only remember so many things at a time. Too much complexity, and we'll have trouble maintaining the code. Bugs start to creep in. It takes longer and longer to add new enhancements without breaking the system. When your buddy who wrote half the system decided to leave for another job at a startup, you are left in charge of the code. Congratulations, you are now the new governor of a territory (the code) infested with wild beasts (the perpetual bug parade) without a map, and top it off, if you don't get the territory under control soon, the king (your boss) will have your head.

What to do? What to do? ...

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